We’ve put together a list of vegetables that would go well with lobster to either enhance its flavor or simply pair well with the prized seafood. Lobster is one of our favorite kinds of seafood and we wonder what vegetables go well with it. Lobster is a sweet kind of seafood and it’s perfect with a selection of nutritious side dishes to complement its flavors.
Lobster is a lauded kind of seafood. It is categorized as a premium seafood for many reasons. Lobster isn’t the easiest to catch. Some of the best lobsters are from Maine and they’re caught in the rough seas off the coast of New England. These lobsters are the sweetest, briniest, and meatiest of their kind. It has paved the way for some of the best-tasting lobster dishes in the culinary world.
Lobster generally tastes sweet, crustacean-like rather than fishy, and briney. The meat is plump yet tender and it almost tastes and feels like butter in your mouth.
This special kind of seafood isn’t the type that can be prepared in many ways but the few select ways of giving tribute to its tasty meat can give you one of your tastiest meals and more expensive meals.
Table of Contents
1. Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a subtle-tasting vegetable with mild notes of greens and earth. We love cauliflower because of its texture, flavor, and nutrition facts. You can easily turn cauliflower into anything special and with lobster, you have an avenue of ways to make it. We love serving cauliflower au gratin with a simple steamed lobster with lemon butter sauce. The natural taste of lobster should be the main star of the show and pairing it with a cheesy yet mild cauliflower au gratin is the cherry on top of the cake.
2. Cilantro
Cilantro is considered more of an herb. It’s a stemmy and leafy herb that tastes citrusy and mildly spicy. Cilantro is typically added to Mexican and Asian dishes. It usually cuts through richer dishes like curries and tacos. We like adding cilantro to lobster dishes because it serves the same purpose, which is cutting through the lobster’s rich flavor. Although not comparable to cream or heavy seasoning, lobster tends to have a rich shellfish flavor rather than an outright heaviness to it. The cilantro adds character to the seafood.
3. Asparagus
If you’re thinking of making yourself a lobster roll, you might want to consider adding some tender steamed green asparagus to the roll. It’s unconventional but it adds freshness and extra bite to the roll. Asparagus doesn’t really taste much so it doesn’t totally affect the overall flavor of the lobster roll. We love that it adds nutritional value to the decadent lobster roll as well.
4. Green Beans
In most 90s American meals, you’ll often see a whole steamed lobster with a side of vegetables around it on a silver platter. Green beans are notably in the mix of these vegetables. In more modern times, we like preparing our ingredients a little bit more character. Try serving deep-fried battered green beans with a lobster thermidor. The crunch from the green beans and the batter add texture and flavor to the creamy lobster dish and it creates a good balance.
5. Carrots
Carrots taste earthy and mildly sweet. This root crop adds so much flavor to any dish you mix it in with. To make lobster stock or any kind of stock for that matter, carrots are usually added together with onion and celery. Carrots add sweetness and some character to the sauce, enhancing the main flavor of the lobster. It’s nice to roast carrots with the lobster shells before adding them to the stock or flambeing it with brandy.
6. Cucumber
Cucumber is mostly liquid and it adds freshness to your palate. If you’re having a Southeast Asian style of chili lobster very much like chili crabs, it’s nice to pair it with a refreshing side of cucumber and tomatoes. The cucumber adds a fresh taste to cut through the spice of the main course.
7. Tomato
Lobster bisque is one of the most popular ways to prepare lobster. It’s basically lobster stock reduced until thick and creamy with the addition of lobster meat and some vegetables. Just like carrots, tomato flavor is usually added to heavy stocks like beef and lobster stock. The tomato not only adds a mild sourness to cut through the richness of the protein but also lightly colors the stock.
8. Caesar Salad
Any salad can go with lobster but we like Caesar salad in particular to further flavor our lobster meal. Caesar salad is a mixture of salty, tangy, and astringent flavors from lemon, anchovies, bacon, and mustard. We love this mix because it’s borderline creamy, fishy, bacon-y, and sour. It’s a great addition to a plain steamed lobster dish.
9. Butternut Squash
If you’re making lobster mac ‘n cheese, a nice puree of butternut squash would take that plate of mac a long way. Butternut squash is creamier and slightly sweeter than normal squash and it’s nice to blend it with the cheesy milk mixture. It adds a natural sweetness to the mac ‘n cheese and it compliments the seafood sweetness of the lobster.
10. Broccoli
Since we’re still on the page of mac ‘n cheese, broccoli is another delicious vegetable addition to lobster mac ‘n cheese. Broccoli adds texture and a mild vegetal flavor to the rich cheesy dish. We love the richness and we love cheese but sometimes it’s good to have a balancer so that you don’t get easily sick of the dish.
